


Bedtime blues

by Remisfriend26



Category: Blue Bloods (TV)
Genre: Discipline, M/M, Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-06 03:18:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11591826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Remisfriend26/pseuds/Remisfriend26
Summary: Danny Reagan's struggling to adjust to the arrival of his baby brother and can't understand why no-one has time to play with him anymore. He needs Daddy to come home before he can calm down enough to sleep.





	Bedtime blues

“Danny, sweetie? Time to get ready for bed now. Can you go put your PJs on for Mommy while I feed Joey?” Mary Reagan asked, holding her three month old son in one arm and using the other to reach out and tousle her eldest child’s mop of dark hair fondly on her way to the couch to nurse the baby.

 

Danny balled his little hands into fists and his face turned red as he held his breath. Mommy was with Joey AGAIN. She was always with Joey and had been ever since Danny had gotten home from kindy that afternoon. He stomped his foot and shouted at her “NO!”

Mary winced at the volume, trying to remind herself that Danny was young and that a new addition to the family was tiring for all of them. “Indoor voice baby, remember? Now, come on,” she coaxed gently. “Time to go put your pyjamas on like mommy’s good boy… then we can read a story before sleep time.” She offered, hoping the bribe would work. She was so tired and wasn’t sure if she had the energy for a battle of wills with her five year old son tonight.

Danny was more grumpy and ornery than usual since Joey had been brought home a few months ago, even his teacher had commented to Mary that he was more moody than usual and refusing to get up from his nap and Mary chalked that up to Joey waking almost the entire house several times a night and unlike Erin who could sleep through anything Danny woke every single time and had trouble getting back to sleep after. Danny stomped his foot again. “NO NO NO!”

“Daniel, stop shouting, right now…” she scolded firmly. “How about a cocoa first?” she tried when Danny just scowled at her and screeched again. She really wished her husband was home to take care of this tantrum tonight. Frank seemed to be the only person who could calm Danny down when he started to lose his temper, which Mary guessed was because his dad had spent a lot of time with him right after Joey was born, when he was given time off work to bond with his children. Danny's temper had been better while Frank was off, but it had rapidly deteriorated again now that her husband was back at work and unable to field him and distract him.

“NO!” Danny kicked the wall so hard his little shoe went right through the drywall making a hole. He was overtired and cranky and was not taking to his new brother very well at all. He had only been two when they had brought Erin home and he had acted out a bit then too, but not nearly as bad as this.

Mary watched in shock as plaster clattered to the floor. She turned and put Joey in his Moses basket, making sure his pacifier was securely fastened before crossing the room to take Danny’s wrist and lead him towards the stairs despite him dragging his heels, sitting him down when they got there. “That was very naughty, Daniel Reagan,” she told him, crouching down to his level for a moment. “You sit here and think about why we don't kick or screech until Mommy comes back to get you. Do you understand me?”

Danny was having none of this time out and he popped up off the naughty step and stomped his feet again “NOOOOOO!” He screamed at her and Joey started screeching from his basket at all the commotion. Mary really wished the older Reagans had not gone on a cruise that week. Henry could get through to Danny usually if Frank was not around, usually with a firm palm of his hand to his grandson’s tiny backside.

“Daniel, stop that screaming. Now.” She warned, sighing. “Danny, baby. Please. Mommy has an idea… If Danny can be a good boy and stop screaming while Mommy gives Joey his milk and puts him to bed, then we can watch a movie and have some cocoa before bed, just us.” She suggested desperately, figuring that with as tired as he was, he'd probably fall asleep quickly once she got him settled on the couch and she could carry him up to bed. 

“MOOMMMYYYYYY!!!” Erin cried from upstairs as Joey cried from his basket. Daniel’s temper tantrum had obviously woken her which would be just Mary’s luck. Erin usually slept through everything!

“Coming, sweetie!” Mary called, hoping her voice didn't wobble as much as it wanted to when she called up to her daughter. She picked Joey up, not wanting to risk leaving him near Danny in a tantrum, then went upstairs, leaving Danny to decide whether he wanted to watch a movie together or not. She knew she shouldn't pander to him, and Frank would probably have something to say about her lax parenting but having three children age five and under was exhausting and she didn't have the energy for a battle with her stubborn oldest child. She'd deal with Frank when it came to it…

She hurried upstairs, cradling Joey close and shushing him as she made her way to Erin’s room.

Danny watched his mommy go and frowned and took himself into the kitchen and dragged a chair across the room, using it to climb on the counters to get into the cabinets. He climbed all the way up and opened them grabbing down the forbidden cookies and tore the package open and started to stuff them in his mouth.

It took Mary a while to get Erin settled, which was unlike the toddler. Usually Erin was less stubborn than Danny by a country mile. She sang one of her daughter’s favourite bedtime songs and tucked her in while feeding Joey a bottle she'd pumped while the kids napped, burping him and tucking him into his crib in she and Frank’s room so she could turn all her attention to dealing with Danny and hopefully avoid the tantrum from escalating.

Danny was sitting cross legged on the countertop where he knew he was not to be with the bag of cookies he was not allowed to have in his lap and he had eaten almost all of them by the time Mary had gotten back down from tucking the two youngests back in.

“Danny?” Mary called when she arrived back downstairs, walking through the house in concern as she tried to find the five year old. She was just starting to panic and thinking of calling Frank when she heard a rustle in the kitchen and headed in that direction with a worried frown on her face. “Danny, what on earth…?” She exclaimed when she arrived in the kitchen, hurriedly checking him over for bumps and bruises as he looked at her wide eyed, hands sticky with melted chocolate and mushy cookie mix.

Danny tried to wiggle away from her prodding hands and stuffed another cookie into his mouth.

“I think you've had enough of them, baby boy,” Mary told him as she reached for the almost empty packet, biting back a groan. Now she'd have a sick little boy to take care of too, judging by how many cookies he'd fit into his little tummy. She couldn't wait to tell Frank what _his_ son had been up to tonight.

“Nooooooo…” Danny whined trying to keep the package of cookies in his possession. “Mine!”

“No, baby. Not yours. You know you're not supposed to climb on the counters. You could’ve fallen and hurt yourself. C’mon, let's get you cleaned up and we can put a movie on, just you and me.” Mary half scolded, managing to wrestle the cookies out of his hands and back into a cupboard before reaching over to swipe up a washcloth from the sink.

Danny burst out into noisy tears as the cookies were snatched from him and he reached for them to get them back. “Moommmyyyyyyyyyyyyy.” He cried. He was so apparently cranky.

“Shh, sweetie. Mommy’s here. Let's go and cuddle, hmm? Mommy’s tired boy...” She cleaned the leftover cookie off him and lifted him off the counter, ignoring his squirms of protest. When she started towards the stairs to put his pyjamas on, Danny started to get louder and his temper reared its head, so she quickly aborted that mission and turned for the lounge, relieved when he stopped fighting her on the way to the couch. 

Danny refused to even take off his little sneakers as Mary settled him on the couch. He was in a full on tantrum at this point and nothing but daddy would make it any better for the poor overtired, feeling neglected little boy.

Mary understood how he felt; she was on the verge of tears herself and only Frank could make it better. She hoped the next two hours went by quickly so her husband could come and calm them both down. “What move do you wanna watch, sweetie?” Mary asked gently, stroking at his dark coloured strands in the soothing way she knew he liked. It wasn’t fair to Frank to make him deal with all this when he first got home from work, but sometimes they needed to trade off this parenting thing even if it was the moment he walked in from a tour.

“Staw waws.” Danny insisted his little thumb finding it’s way into his mouth. It was a habit that Frank had managed to break him of while he had been off work, but was now back with a vengeance. 

“Okay, baby.” Mary agreed. “You want some juice?” She asked once she’d put the video in the VCR machine. It needed to rewind so she hit the right button and stood to go and get her son some diluting juice.

Danny nodded and curled up on the couch, shoes and all.

“Okay, Mommy’ll be back in a minute. Orange?” She asked gently, tousling his hair affectionately when he nodded. She got him a sippy cup of warm milk as well as his diluting juice, hoping the milk might lull him off to sleep more quickly.

Just as Mary was walking back into the room she heard Danny moan and then whimper before doubling over and throwing up all over himself.

Mary hurried over, abandoning the drinks on the coffee table and going over to her little boy. “Oh sweetie. Mommy’s poor boy. Are you gonna be sick again?” She asked gently, brushing his hair back from his face. “Let's go and get you into a nice warm bath, huh?”

Danny looked green and doubled over again tossing the rest of his cookies, literally.

“Poor baby. Come on, it's okay,” Mary soothed, glad that they had leather couches that could be cleaned easily. She carefully stripped Danny’s clothes off him, then lifted him up so she could carry him up to the bathroom to run him a bath and get him cleaned up.

The fight pretty much puked out of him, Danny didn’t argue as he was stripped down and carried into the bathroom. “Don wanna baf.” He said weakly.

“I know, sweetie, but it'll make you feel better. Then we can watch Star Wars and cuddle, okay? Be a brave boy for me…” Mary soothed as he leaned into her sadly. She set the water to run and took them on a quick detour to get him some clean underwear and pyjamas then carried him back to the bathroom and checked the water. 

Danny clung tightly to his mommy, this was the first time in months that he had, had any one on one time with her.

“Shh, it's okay, sweet boy. Mommy’s not going anywhere. I promise…”

Danny hid his face in her chest and held on tightly to her giving a little whimper. 

“Just a quick one, sweetie, to get rid of the yucky sick, then I promise you can cuddle as close as you want and we can watch our film together. No babies, just momma and Danny. Come on, it's okay…” Eventually she managed to slide him into the bath, keeping one arm around him so that he could still feel her close. She reached for a face cloth and wet it in the warm water, then set about washing him down quickly so that she could get him out the bath and let him cuddle up on her lap for a bit. 

She knew it had been a big adjustment for him getting another baby in the house, and she felt a little guilty for not being able to spend as much time together as they usually did before Joey had come along. Maybe when the Reagan grandparents were home, she could ask them to look after Erin and Joe for a couple of hours so she could do something special with Danny. It was obvious tonight that he was desperately trying to gain her attention in any form he could get it.

Danny sniffled and ran his hands across his face. He didn’t want to cry, crying was for babies and Danny wasn’t a baby.

Mary could see how upset he was and hurried to get him bathed and back out of the water and into her arms. “There now, brave boy. All done. Just jammies and cuddles…”

Danny nodded, he looked wiped out and his face was a bit pale from having been sick. He let Mary unplug the tub and send the water down the drain before reaching in with a towel and lifting him out of the tub to dry him off.

Mary cuddled him close as she dried him, then set him on the floor still wrapped in the towel while she got him dressed. She held his underwear open for him to step into while he clung to her shoulders, then did the same with his pyjama bottoms and helped him into his top. Once he was changed, she scooped him back up and kissed the tip of his nose as she carried him back downstairs. When they arrived in the lounge she stopped to collect his soiled clothes and take them through to the washing machine, then carried him to the lounge and lay down on the couch so he could curl up against her. She waited till he was comfy and pulled a throw blanket down over them before hitting play on the video remote.

Danny snuggled down into his mommy and watched the movie stubbornly refusing to close his eyes and drift off to sleep even though he was way, way overtired. Mary tried every trick that she or Frank had had any success with over their years parenting but soon realised Danny wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon. Instead she settled for stroking his back under the blanket to keep him calm and watched the film avidly with him.

Danny got engrossed in the movie, the idea that his daddy would be home soon and not happy with him being awake didn’t even cross his mind.

They were both so caught up in the film that they got quite a surprise when they heard the door close and Frank's voice call out in greeting. Mary wasn't sure who was more relieved that he was back, her or Danny. 

“Daddy!” Danny cried and jumped off the couch and went running over to Frank, tossing himself at him.

Frank dropped to one knee as his eldest came barrelling towards him and threw himself against Frank’s chest. “Hey, little man. What are you still doing up?” Frank asked, dropping a kiss to the crown of his son’s head with a smile.

“Mommy said I could.” Danny lied.

“Oh, she did did she? I'll have to ask her why she said that, cause someone’s got kindergarten tomorrow…” Frank reminded him, one eyebrow raised. “Sure is good to see you though, Daddy missed you today.”

“I missed you too, daddy, why’d you haveta go to wowk?” Danny asked sadly.

“So that I can make pennies and buy us food and take you places. But Daddy’s off in two days, so we can spend time together. Sound good?”

“No, youw just gonna wanna spend time wif Joey, like mommy.” Danny said in a small voice.

“Oh Danny, you're really finding having another baby here hard, huh? I promise I won't spend all my time with Joey or Erin. You and me can go to the park, just us. I promise.”

“Eberyone wansa be wif Joey, even gamma an pop.” Danny sniffled his eyes brimming with tears, thumb sneaking up to his mouth again. Not only was his sleep pattern off from waking up with Joey several times a night but he felt replaced. Erin was still little enough to demand her share of attention but Danny was independent enough to be forgotten in the chaos. 

Frank sighed, cuddling Danny closer. “Look at me, Danny…” Frank said softly, tilting his chin up. “We all love you very, very much. I'm sorry you feel like we don't want to spend time with you. We’re just trying to get used to having another little guy to look after too. But you're still my precious boy, I promise you that. We’ll do better at not leaving you out, alright?”

A tear slid down Danny’s cheek and he reached to rub it away. It had been a very hard adjustment for the little boy and he was feeling all out of sorts and being tired was not helping the matter. He looked his daddy in the eye as if he was trying to see how honest he was being about what he was saying and after a few seconds of staring the man right in the eyes he nodded his head.

“My brave boy,” Frank murmured, kissing his cheek and wrapping his strong arms around his little boy even tighter so that Danny was completely nestled against him. When he felt Danny relax against him, he walked them through to the lounge to check in with his wife. “Hey hon,” he greeted warmly, leaning down to kiss her. 

Mary looked exhausted and totally exasperated. She waited for Frank to put Danny down on the couch and lead him through to the kitchen to let him know what had been going on that night with their oldest.

“Wait here a minute, Danny, okay?” Frank instructed when he realised his wife wanted to talk privately, passing the little boy his juice cup. “I’ll be right back.” 

Frank let Mary lead him to the kitchen, looking at her in confusion when they were out of range of Danny’s hearing. “Everything okay, honey?” He asked in concern.

Mary looked close to tears “I could have killed that boy tonight. _Your_ son was a total terror...” She told him and then went into the story of the tantrum, the hole in the wall the screaming the cookies the refusal to go to bed.

Frank’s frown deepened as he heard all about Danny’s antics and by the time Mary had finished her story, his moustache was twitching in anger and he looked ready to throttle Danny himself. “I'm sorry I wasn't here to sort him out, Mary,” he said quietly when she stopped speaking to draw breath.

“You have to work.” Mary said leaning into her husband’s strong chest, just glad he was home now.

“I know, but it's not fair to you to have to deal with all three of them by yourself. I'm due some annual leave, maybe I could get them to give me a bit of it now…” Frank suggested, holding his wife close against his chest and rubbing her shoulders soothingly.

“You already took time when Joey was born, can you really take more time now?” Mary asked, concerned.

“I could ask my Serge. He might not let me but surely it's worth a try? And anyway, they all love Danny down at the precinct so I might get brownie points if it's for him. I didn't realise how much he's struggling with having another baby around to steal all the adults’ attention.”

“It isn’t just that, he wakes every time Joey cries and he can’t get back down, he is exhausted. His teacher told me today she can’t get him to wake after nap time and he is more cranky than usual and having issues with his friends,” Mary told him. “He really is not adjusting well.”

Frank hummed thoughtfully. “I'll phone my serge now. He needs someone to be around who can devote some time to him and make sure his boundaries are firm. I can ask Pop to do it once he's home from that cruise, and Mom can help with Erin too. Even if it's just a few days, I need to do something. He's going to make himself sick at this rate…”

“What are we supposed to do? We can’t exactly stop him from waking with Joey and he isn’t sleeping through the night yet, but Danny needs way more sleep than he is getting.” Mary worried. She knew it would be easier once the older Reagans were home. Danny listened to Henry just about as well as he did Frank. He really was a daddy/grandpa’s boy and he was so lost right now that when neither of them were around he got so undone and it broke Mary’s heart that her boy was having such a hard time and she couldn’t provide the attention he needed. He was still only a baby himself. She loved Joey with all her heart, but she had never meant to hurt her oldest.

“Hey, shhh. This isn't your fault, sweetheart. Joey’ll start sleeping through the night much better soon and things’ll get easier. Maybe we could try getting Danny’s musical nightlight back out? If there's background noise anyway, then he might not notice Joey the same and might start sleeping through?” Frank suggested. He knew it wasn't ideal but he was also unsure of what they could do. “Or maybe we should start putting him to bed earlier so that he can still get as much sleep as he needs even if he's woken up in the night?” 

Frank was interrupted by the sound of tears next door and turned his head towards the sound in concern. He knew he was going to have to play bad cop with his son imminently and knew it’d be much worse if Danny was already this upset before Frank had brought up his bad behaviour. He turned back to Mary, torn between going to his little boy and finishing this conversation and provided the solace the woman he loved clearly needed that evening.

Mary sighed and looked at Frank. “He’s so tired.” She said sadly.

“Very. I better get him up to bed. Why don't you have a bath and relax while I'm sorting Danny?” Frank suggested, leaning down to kiss her.

Mary frowned. “Are you sure?”

Frank nodded with a smile. “I've got this. Get a cup of tea and go relax. He'll be asleep in no time. Once I've got him settled, I'll phone Serge and see if he can work my shifts so I'm off on leave or home for bedtime for a few days.”

She reached up and kissed him “Thank you.”

“I love you, Mrs Reagan.” Frank murmured, returning the kiss for a moment longer than necessary before stepping back. “Wish me luck…” he joked, making his way back to his teary son.

“Good luck” She called after him before heading off for her bath.

Danny was sitting on the couch, crying sadly, little hands over his face.

“Hey, little man… C’mere, come see Daddy for a hug…” Frank soothed, leaning down to scoop Danny into his arms for said cuddle.

Danny moved his hands from his face and threw his arms around his daddy’s neck. “You leaved me all alone.” He cried.

“I'm sorry, buddy. Mommy needed to talk to me quickly. I'm here now though. Shh, it's alright. Daddy’s got you.”

Danny buried his wet face in Frank’s neck sniffling.

Frank waited until he calmed down before speaking again quietly. “Is there something you need to tell Daddy, champ?” He asked, kissing the top of Danny’s dark head affectionately.

Danny shook his head no, not knowing that Mommy had told on him.

“Are you sure about that, Daniel Reagan?” Frank prompted patiently, keeping his voice non-threatening like he'd been trained to do it in the police force.

Danny peeked up at him hearing his full name and pouted at him. Frank raised his eyebrows and met Danny’s gaze calmly.

Danny looked away “I not do nuffink.” He insisted.

“Why’s there a Danny’s trainer shaped hole in my wall then, hmm? And a packet of cookies gone that was there earlier?”

“Joey do it.” Danny tried.

“I don’t think so, little man. Try again,” Frank prompted, reaching one hand down to pat Danny’s thigh. “Or does Daddy have to take away your action man until you’re ready to tell the truth?” He knew how much Danny loved his action man toys and hoped the threat would be enough to get Danny to co-operate.

Danny’s eyes went wide and he shook his head. “No daddy don’t do that!”

“Then I think you have something you need to tell Daddy, don’t you? Were you a good boy for Mommy tonight?” Frank asked his squirming little boy. 

“I’m siiiiiiiicccckkkkk.” Danny tried.

“I think that’s because of all those cookies you ate while Mommy was with Erin…” Frank commented mildly. “How did you get up on the counter?”

Danny squirmed and pouted “I climb on chair.” He admitted unhappily.

“Uh-huh,” Frank nodded solemnly. “Are you allowed to climb on the chairs without an adult there to make sure you don’t fall?”

Danny shook his head no.

“That doesn’t sound like you were being a good boy then, does it?” Frank continued firmly.

Danny started to cry again, shaking his little head.

“What else happened tonight, Danny? Did you get ready for bed when Mommy asked you to?”

“N-Nooooooo,” Danny sniffled sadly. “I not tired.”

“Does that mean it’s okay to tell your mommy no and scream loud enough to wake Erin and Joey up?”

Danny shook his head no sadly getting the feeling he was in a lot of trouble with his daddy.

“No,” Frank agreed. “I don’t think so either. You owe me five minutes on the naughty step for the time you owed Mommy. I want you to be a good boy and sit there quietly, or I’ll start your time again. Understood, Champ?”

Danny sobbed hard and clung to Frank tightly “I don’t wanna all alone!”

“Daddy will be right next door, little man. Be a good boy for Daddy.” Frank insisted calmly, walking over one of the dining chairs and depositing Danny on it. “Sit here, okay? You can do time out here today. Daddy will be just next door so you won’t be alone.” Frank told him. He needed to go upstairs and get something while Danny was doing his time. 

Danny sobbed loudly as he sat in the chair, but he didn’t move from his spot even though he wanted to run after his daddy.

Frank went upstairs quickly and got what he needed, putting it down the side of the couch cushion before going back to find Danny. He didn’t want his son to know what he’d been to fetch. He was proud to see Danny sitting exactly where he’d left him, thumb in his mouth. He was trying to break that habit of the little boy’s but decided that he could let it slide tonight if Danny was trying to behave for him. One battle at a time, he thought wryly. 

When Danny’s time was up, Frank called him over from his seat, kneeling down and opening his arms to the little boy.

Danny went flying into the open arms, tears rolling down his cheeks. Frank picked him up, cradling Danny against his broad chest and murmuring to him patiently while Danny cried into his shoulder. Danny was a restless child who was much better with dexterous tasks and practical jobs than academia, so Frank knew that being made to sit still for a given amount of time was difficult for his eldest.

Danny sniffled and took in deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down, snuggling into his daddy’s arms needing the affection. 

“Shh, you’re alright. Daddy’s got you.” Frank gave his son as long as he needed to calm down a little. The next part would be upsetting for Danny too and Frank didn’t want to completely overwhelm him any more than he needed to. He could practically feel exhaustion rolling off the five year old in waves.

Soon Danny had calmed down to hitched breaths and he rubbed his face against his daddy’s chest.

“That’s it, good boy…” Frank soothed, rubbing his back. “But we still need to deal with you kicking a hole in the wall and eating all those cookies and climbing on the chair by yourself. Those things were naughty, son. What happens when you’re naughty in this house?”

“Daddy nooooooooooo!!” Danny bemoaned not liking where this was going at all.

“Answer my question, Daniel. What happens?”

“Sp-Spanking” Danny started crying again.

“Right. I'm going to give you a spanking, little champ. You need to be a good boy for Mommy when I'm not here, Daniel,” Frank told his son seriously. “I need you to look after your mommy when I'm not here. You're the only guy I trust to protect her and Erin and Joey. If you're screaming and throwing tantrums you can't keep them safe for me.” The older man told his son, hoping that giving Danny a purpose while they adjusted to the baby might help him to cope with all the changes he was experiencing a little better.

“I’m sorry dadddyyyyyyyyy,” Danny cried “I’ll take bettew cawe a mommy!” He promised him rubbing at his wet eyes.

“That's my good boy. Can you take care of Erin and Joey too? That's a really important job. Can you look after them like daddy looks after you and mommy when I'm not here?” Frank asked, reaching up to wipe away his son’s tears with gentle hands. 

Danny nodded his head and sniffled “I take cawe a dem daddy….” He peeked up at Frank with large brown eyes through wet lashes. “Do I gotta get a spanking?” He asked sadly. He didn’t want a spanking. Daddy spanked hard.

“‘Fraid so, little sheriff. What if you’d hurt Joey when you had a tantrum? Or Mommy? You made Mommy very sad when you shouted like that. It’s not good to make Mommy feel sad. Once you get your spanking then it’s all forgiven and you get a clean start,” Frank promised his son, hoping to offer him a little reassurance after scolding him.

Danny looked impossibly sad at that “I not wanna make Momma sad. I not wanna hurt Joey, Daddy.” He looked horrified at the idea that he could have.

“I know, son. That’s why Daddy needs to tell you off and help you learn so you don’t do it again. And now you know better, so you’re going to do a real good job of looking after them now. Right, champ?”

Danny nodded feeling important that Daddy would trust him to take care of the family when he wasn’t home.

“That’s my boy,” Frank praised proudly. “Let’s get it over with and then we can choose a story before sleep, okay?”

“I don’t wanna spanking, daddy. It huwts.” Danny pouted at Frank as if the man didn’t know a spanking hurt.

“I know, son. But maybe that’ll help you remember to be a good boy next time and do as you’re told. Come on.” Frank carried Danny through to the lounge and sat down with his son, giving him a few moments to get used to his position before gently turning him over his knee. 

“No daddy!” Danny wiggled and squirmed over the man’s lap. He really really really didn’t want a spanking. His daddy had big hard hands that hurt a lot!

“Shh, settle down. If you’re a good boy, you can keep your pyjamas up instead of getting your bare bottom spanked.”

Danny whimpered unhappily. He didn’t want a spanking on the bare. He didn’t want a spanking at all. It was still going to hurt. Danny knew that, but knowing he wasn’t going to win Danny settled over his daddy’s lap.

“Good boy,” Frank murmured, resting one hand on Danny’s back and raising the other before bringing it down on his son’s backside. His hand was large and his son’s backside small, so each spank covered the entirety of Danny’s bottom. He knew he wouldn’t need to drag this out; Danny was still young enough that when Frank did give him a full spanking it made an impression very fast.

Danny yelped and kicked his feet. “Owwww daddddyyyyyyyyy!!” He cried as Frank’s large hand smacked down on his little bottom. It always hurt even more than he remembered it to.

Frank didn’t answer, letting Danny get it out of his system while he focused on landing fifteen spanks to his son’s bottom, landing five to his sit spots. Once he’d landed the fifteen he’d decided on, he reached down the side of the couch for the hairbrush he’d brought downstairs earlier. 

Danny wailed and cried collapsing over Frank’s lap in a fit of sobs and tears as his bottom burned up.

“Daniel, Daddy’s going to use this brush to smack your bottom, then we’ll be finished. I know it’ll hurt and I know you’ve never been smacked with a brush before, but you’re doing real good and I’m so proud. Five more spanks and we’re all done.” 

“No d-daddy please don’t! I’ll be a good boy! No mowe!!!” Danny sobbed.

“Hush, little sheriff. You’re doing well.” Frank rested the brush on his son’s backside for a minute before bringing the brush down in a firm tap on his son’s bottom. He landed the next two on the middle of his bottom, then slid him forward a little bit to land the last two on his son’s now exposed sit spots. Once he’d finished, he put the brush to the side out of Danny’s line of sight and lifted his son up to cradle against his chest, letting him cry hard against him and cling to him tightly.

“AAHHHAAA!!” Danny yelped out, but it was over fast and before he knew it he was being snuggled against his daddy. He clung to him tight and sobbed against his chest. “I sowwy!” He cried reaching a hand back to rub at the burn in his bottom.

“I know, son. I forgive you. You’re alright, shhh. Just breathe for me, champ. That’s it, good boy…” Frank soothed patiently, letting Danny curl as close as he needed. “You want your milk?” 

Danny nodded, sniffling and rubbing his face against Frank’s shirt. His bottom was on fire, that brush was mean and he never wanted to be spanked with it again.

“Alright, here we go…” Frank said, reaching for the milk cup and passing it to his little boy. When Danny shook his head and burrowed closer, Frank realised what he wanted and obediently held the cup to his son’s lips, smiling fondly when Danny started to drink slowly, head never leaving his father’s shoulder.

Danny sipped at the soothing milk and snuggled in as closely to Frank as he could get.

The pair were companionably silent while Danny drank his milk, hands curling in Frank’s collar. When the cup was empty, Frank returned it to the table and then returned his hand to rub his son’s back. 

Danny let out a huge yawn and drooped against Frank. Frank kissed the top of his head and stood up with him, “Bed time for my little sheriff. Come on, let’s get you up to bed.” The cop said, carrying his tired boy towards the stairs.

“Not…” Yawn. “Tired.” Danny protested.

“I think you are. How about a story, hmm? I’ll stay with you till you’re asleep anyway, little man.”

Danny made a face. “Don’t wanna go to bed.” He gave another huge yawn.

“I know that too, but you need to sleep so you have energy tomorrow. You can’t play with your friends at kindy if you’re too tired, and you can’t look after your Mommy and Joey and Erin. Shh now, no more tears. Let’s read a story and cuddle, son.”

Danny thought about this for a moment and then nodded, rubbing the last of the tears from his eyes. Frank kissed the top of his head again and carried him up to his room, taking him in to use the toilet and clean his teeth before carrying him through to his room to choose a story for them to read. 

Danny picked a book and handed it to Frank giving another huge yawn. Frank sat down on the bed, depositing Danny beside him so his son could curl into his side and pulling the covers up over them. He kissed the top of Danny’s head and opened the book to the first page, starting to read in his low timbre. 

Danny snuggled down in the bed and tried hard to keep his eyes open, but it was a losing battle. His eyes slid shut a moment, but then he popped them back open. He was very stubborn.

Frank noticed and hid a smile, reading quietly and cuddling Danny close to his side. When he finished the story, he closed the book and kissed Danny’s forehead. “Close your eyes now, little sheriff. I’m right here…” He murmured, leaning over to use a hand to cover Danny’s eyes. He’d never understood why but for some reason this trick had always worked quickly on his oldest child and seemed to soothe him every time.

Danny closed his eyes under his daddy’s hand and it wasn’t long after that his breathing evened out and he was fast asleep.

Frank felt his son give in to sleep and listened to his quiet, sleep filled deep breathing for a while. When he was sure Danny was settled properly, he slid out from under him, sliding his favourite blanket and teddy into his arms and tucking the covers around him before going to find his wife and let her know Danny was okay. He wasn't sure if his son would manage to sleep through tonight but he hoped that Danny would get a decent sleep. They still had a bumpy road ahead of them as they adjusted to the addition to their family, but Frank had no doubt they would make it out the other side and Danny would thrive in his role as big brother if given a little more time to adjust to the changes they were all facing.


End file.
